But the wolf ran on, making straight for Moynat and Mildet, the two best shots in the country round. Both their first shots were fired at him in the open; the second, after he had entered the forest. The two first bullets were seen to cross one another, and ran along the ground, sending up spurts of snow; the wolf had escaped them both, but he had no doubt been struck down by the others; that the two keepers who had just fired should miss their aim, was an un-heard of thing. I had seen Moynat kill seventeen snipe one after the other; I had seen Mildet cut a squirrel in two as he was jumping from tree to tree. The keepers went into the forest after the wolf; we looked anxiously towards the spot where they had disappeared. We saw them reappear, dejected, and shaking their heads. “Well?” cried Mocquet interrogatively. “Bah!” answered Mildet, with an impatient movement of his arm, “he’s at Taille-Fontaine by this time.” “At Taille-Fontaine!” exclaimed Mocquet, completely taken aback. “What! the fools have gone and missed him, then!” “Well, what of that? you missed him yourself, did you not?” Mocquet shook his head. “Well, well, there’s some devilry about this,” he said. “That I should miss him was surprising, but it was perhaps possible; but that Moynat should have shot twice and missed him is not possible, no, I say, no.” “Nevertheless, so it is, my good Mocquet.” “Besides, you, you hit him,” he said to me. “I!... are you sure?” “We others may well be ashamed to say it. But as sure as my name is Mocquet, you hit the wolf.” “Well, it’s easy to find out if I did hit him, there would be blood on the snow.--Come, Mocquet, let us run and see.” And suiting the action to the word, I set off running. “Stop, stop, do not run, whatever you do,” cried Mocquet, clenching his teeth and stamping. “We must go quietly, until we know better what we have to deal with.” “Well, we will go quietly, then; but at any rate, let us go!” Mocquet then began to follow the wolf’s track, step by step. “There’s not much fear of losing it,” I said. “It’s plain enough.” “Yes, but that’s not what I am looking for.” “What are you looking for, then?” “You will know in a minute or two.” The other huntsmen had now joined us, and as they came along after us, the keeper related to them what had taken place. Meanwhile, Mocquet and I continued to follow the wolf’s footprints, which were deeply indented in the snow. At last we came to the spot where he had received my fire. “There, Mocquet,” I said to him, “you see I did miss him after all!” “How do you know that you missed him?” “Because there are no blood marks.” “Look for the mark of your bullet, then, in the snow.” I looked to see which way my bullet would have sped if it had not hit the wolf, and then went in that direction; but I tracked for more than a quarter of a mile to no purpose, so I thought I might as well go back to Mocquet. He beckoned to the keepers to approach, and then turning to me, said:--